JUNG'S DREAM THEORY The dream theory of Carl G . Jung (1875-1961) Is one of the most important and widely influential dream theories in modern depth psychology (that branch of psychology that studies the unconscious as its main object) . Jung, a Swiss medical doctor, was at one time Freud's closest friend and leading student; however, Jung and Freud had a bitter falling out in 1914, in part because of
their different theories of the nature and function of dreams (see FREUD'S DREAM THEORY) . In Jung's view, dreams are the direct, natural expression of the current condition of the dreamer's mental world . Jung rejected Freud's claim that dreams intentionally disguise their meanings ; rather, Jung believed that the nature of dreams is to present "a spontaneous selfportrayal, in symbolic form, of the actual situation in the unconscious" (Jung, 1967, Vol . 8, par. 505) . Jung claimed that dreams speak in a distinctive language of symbols, images, and metaphors, a language that is the unconscious mind's natural means of expression . We have trouble understanding dreams, Jung said, only because this symbolic language Is so different from the Ian-* guage of our waking consciousness . Dreams sometimes portray the dreamer's relation with the external world, that Is, with the people, events, and activities of the dreamer's daily life. Jung called this the objective level of a dream's meaning . At other times, dreams portray the dreamer's inner world ; the dream figures are' personifications of thoughts and feelings within the dreamer's own psyche . This, Jung said, is the subjective level of a dream's meaning . Jung criticized Freud for acknowledging only the objective level ; the true nature of dreams, Jung believed, is to portray both these levels of the dreamer's life . Jung stated that dreams serve two functions . One function Is to compensate for imbalances in the dreamer's psyche. Dreams bring forth unconscious contents that consciousness has either ignored, depreciated, or actively repressed . For example, if a person is overly intellectual, his or her dreams will work to balance this conscious excess by bringing forth images of the psyche's more emotion-oriented contents . According to Jung, when the dreamer recognizes and accepts these unconscious contents, greater psychological balance is achieved . The second function of dreams is to provide prospective images of the future . Jung agrees with Freud that dreams may look backward to past experiences, but he argues that dreams also look forward to anticipate what the dreamer's future developments may be . Jung did not mean that dreams predict the future, only that dreams can suggest what might happen, what possibilities the future might hold . Ultimately, Jung believed that dreams function to promote the most important developmental . process of human life, namely, the uniting of consciousness and the unconscious in a healthy, harmonious
state of wholeness . Jung calls this process individuation, the "complete actualization of the whole human being" (Jung, 1967, Vol . 16, par. 352) . One of the most distinctive features of Jung's theory of dreams is his claim that dreams express not just'personal contents, but also collective or universal contents . Jung believed that dreams frequently contain archetypes, universal psychic images that underlie all human thought . (Common archetypal figures described by Jung are the wise old man, the great mother, the trickster, the divine child, and the shadow.) Archetypes reflect a natural wisdom deep within the human unconscious ; archetypal images in dreams can provide the dreamer with special insights and guidance along the path toward individuation . Jung believed that the world's religious and mythological traditions contain a wealth of archetypal images, and he refers to . these traditions in describing the nature and function of dreams . Jung's dream theory has been criticized for being perilously close to mysticism and the occult . Jung insisted, however, that his theory of dreams is based on strictly empirical observations . He claimed to have interpreted over 80,000 dreams during his almost 60 years of clinical practice ; Jung said his theory simply attempts to describe and classify the dream phenomena he had observed .
REFERENCES Homans P. 1979 . Jung in context. Chicago: University of Chicago Press . A study of Jung's relationship with Freud . Jung CG. 1965 . Memories, dreams, reflections . New York : Vintage . Jung's autobiography, filled with dream accounts ; esse:ttial to understanding his life and theories. .1967 . Man and his symbols . New York : Dell . Jung's last work, an explanation of his psychology In nontechnical terms . . 1967 . The collected works of C .G . Jung . Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, 1967 . Jung discusses dreams throughout the 18 volumes of his writings . The key works on dreams are the following : General Aspects of Dream Psychology, Vol . 8 ; On the Nature of Dreams, Vol . 8 ; The Practical Use of Dream Analysis, Vol . 16 ; Individual Dream Symbolism in Relation to Alchemy, Vol . 12 ; Two Essays on Analytical Psychology, Vol . 7 .
Samuels A . 1985 . Jung and the postjunglans. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul . Describes postJungian dream theories .
Kelly Bulkley
